The special care time for parents of corona-positive children is now being extended. The associated scheme expired at the end of last school year and especially the employees’ side had insisted on an extension. Now a joint motion by the two government groups, the ÖVP and the Greens, is on the agenda of the Social Affairs Committee, according to which the special reception period will be retroactively reintroduced from the start of school on 5 September until the end of the year.
With the planned amendment to employment contract law, parents of children who have tested positive for the coronavirus are legally entitled to special care for a maximum of three weeks. For the legal guardians there is continued payment of their wages during this care period. This applies to parents of children in kindergartens and creches or primary schools if they are not allowed to visit the facility due to traffic restrictions. Parents of children up to the age of 14 also count if classes or groups of children are officially closed. The special care time also applies to care for people with disabilities. If people are unable to wear an FFP2 mask due to their disability, special care time can also be claimed for them if they therefore need to be cared for at home.
A condition for the statutory right to special care time is that the care for the child or person with a disability is necessary. Such a need exists when there is no other suitable care option for the employee to look for.
SPÖ wants unlimited reintroduction
The SPÖ wants to go one step further. In a motion for a resolution that is also on the agenda of the Social Affairs Committee of the National Council, the opposition party calls for an unlimited reintroduction of special care time.
Source: Krone
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